


at last, sunrise

by izadreamer



Series: earn your happy ending [1]
Category: Tangled (2010), Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Action, Brother-Sister Relationships, Comfort No Hurt, Families of Choice, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Happy Ending, Post-Canon, Sibling Bonding, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, post-redemption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 12:59:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15389280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/izadreamer/pseuds/izadreamer
Summary: Rapunzel gets kidnapped, Varian gets adopted, and a couple of evil hoodlums get what’s coming to them. All in all, it’s a good day.





	at last, sunrise

**Author's Note:**

> I mentioned in my fic daybreak of the victor that Rapunzel sees Varian as her little brother, and I kind of wanted to write more on that? So here, have this—fluff, humor, feels, and sibling bickering/bonding all in one.
> 
> I’ve said this before, but—as much as I adore writing character development, it is so nice to explore the _after,_ too. 
> 
> Didn’t edit this nearly as much as I usually do—please let me know if you catch any mistakes!! (Also, I’m always open for feedback or constructive criticism, so please, don’t be afraid to tell me if you think something doesn’t quite fit!)

 

The tunnels beneath Corona’s castle are the stuff of nightmares. No matter how many times Rapunzel has been here, they are unchanged. Dark, damp, and as frightening as they were the first time she stepped through them. They are lit by a ghastly green glow, thin and weak, barely illuminating the floors, and even an extra lantern cannot quite pierce through the darkness that surrounds them. They are always full of dust and cobwebs, danger lurking around every corner. They are mystery incarnate, holding secrets and threats Rapunzel can only guess at, a place of constant peril.

“Princess,” Varian says, from behind her, voice dark with irritation, “if you don’t stop laughing, I’m going to have to gag you.”

They are walking side-by-side in the tunnels, Varian holding the lantern above their heads to light their path. On Rapunzel’s shoulder, Pascal is nestled into the hood of her cloak. At the moment, none of them are quite looking where they are going— Varian is giving Rapunzel the stink eye, Pascal is having conniptions, and Rapunzel is currently dying.

“Oh!” Rapunzel says, and slaps a hand across her mouth. She can’t quite stop giggling, however. “Oh, Varian, but their faces!”

A smile twitches at Varian’s lips before he ruthlessly squashes it, scowling at her so forcefully it looks more ridiculous than threatening. In the light of his lantern, she can see his cheeks go pink. “Stop, stop it, I was improvising!”

“ _It is I, Varian! The Alchemist! Come to enact my revenge!”_ Rapunzel mimics, and has to stop, she’s laughing so hard. She places both hands on her knees and wheezes. Tears bead in her eyes. “Oh, Pete! Stan! I’m so sorry!”

Varian elbows her. “Stop laughing!” His cheeks are bright red, the tips of his ears burning. “I had to _improvise_ , okay? I didn’t know they would come back right when I was sneaking you out! You said Cassie was keeping them distracted!”

“No, no, it was good, really!” Rapunzel insists, and clasps a hand to her mouth before she can burst into hysterical giggles all over again. “Very convincing!” she squeaks out through her fingers. Her voice is high and strained.

Varian gives her a disgruntled look, unconvinced. “Somehow I do not believe you. Why is that?”

Rapunzel takes a deep breath, shaking her head to get her laughter back under control. “Oh, I’m sorry, Varian, it’s just…” She bites her lower lip, grinning into the back of her hand at the memory.

He’s not wrong about Cassandra, she had promised to fill in—alas, Pete and Stan must have somehow slipped her notice. Varian had reacted very well, all things considered, and it probably would have been okay, dramatic speech and all, except… well. Varian hadn’t been wearing his alchemist’s mask at the time, and instead of intimidating, he’d just looked rather panicked. A bit like a startled rabbit, honestly.

In other words— _Adorable._

“It was just… so… _you,”_ Rapunzel decides finally.

Varian reels back at this, overblown offense on his face. He waves both hands in the air, the lantern swinging wildly in his grip. “What! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Rapunzel wavers her hand back and forth in a vague gesture. “Just… _you._ ”

He scowls at this, turning his back on her with a dark mutter under his breath. He raises his voice, sounding peeved, not looking at her. “…This is a kidnapping, you know. I’m kidnapping you. Just so we’re clear.”

Rapunzel looks down at her unbound wrists and unchained feet, the frying pan at her side. She looks back at Varian, at the comically serious expression on his face, the near pout he is just barely biting back.

Her choice is instantaneous. Rapunzel sags dramatically against the wall, as if her knees have gone weak, Pascal bawling fake tears on her shoulder. “Oh!” she says, pitching her voice high and breathy in pretend terror. “You dastardly fiend! You have captured me! Taken my only means of escape! Whatever shall become of me!”

“Why is it, that you’ve only gotten _more_ embarrassing with age?” Varian complains, but he’s grinning despite himself. He shakes his head and shoves at her shoulder. “C’mon, move it, we gotta go! We’re burning lantern-light here, night won’t last forever.”

Rapunzel fakes a stumble and Pascal gives a nice theatrical wail. “Ah!” Rapunzel says, pretending to cower at the wall. It takes everything she has to not cackle at the look on his face. “Don’t hurt me, dear sir! Mercy! Mercy on me!”

Varian stares at her for a long moment in contemplative silence. “I’m gagging you,” he decides finally, and Rapunzel laughs so hard she falls over.

-

See, it starts like this: the separatist group of Saporia decides to threaten war.

To be more precise—the Separatists gather up their weapons, terrorize a few villages, somehow manage to get an alliance with a neighboring kingdom ( _Damn it, King Trevor,_ Rapunzel thinks), and then they make an ultimatum: give us land or else.

Now, this would be a very serious and not-at-all laughing matter sort of situation, if the Separatists hadn’t done it in such a way that Rapunzel is helpless to do anything other than stare at the missive and say, “But… that’s… so stupid?” 

“Honey, they’ve infiltrated our kingdom.”

“But we know their base?”

Her father sighs at her. “They _want_ us to attack them, Rapunzel. They have the treaty with Equis for that reason. If we crush them publicly, as a kingdom, without a crime that King Trevor can’t excuse—well. Equis can retaliate. It will break into full-blown war.”

Rapunzel arches an eyebrow. “Then… _don’t_ attack them publicly. We can send men in disguise!”

Her father crosses his arms. “How many men? They’ll know it’s us if we send an army. _Trevor—”_ He practically growls the name, _“_ —will immediately suspect. We can’t send more than two or three people, and we most certainly can’t do _that_.”

The solution to that, of course, is simple. “Send me,” Rapunzel says without thinking, and gets promptly banished to her room.

Thanks, Dad.

Sometimes he’s good at respecting her choices, Rapunzel thinks absently, tapping her quill against her lips as she writes her letter. Other times, her father can be rather exhausting.

The difference between now and then is that nowadays, Rapunzel had no more patience for it. Her father has forbidden her from infiltrating and taking out the Separatist group? Fine. She’ll just sneak out and do it herself.

Of course, it never hurts to have help.

It’s easy, grabbing a hold of Varian—easier than it would have been a few years ago, before he returned to Corona. All she has to do is borrow Owl and send him off with a message, and then she meets Varian in a secret location a few days later. He always comes, when it is Rapunzel asking; she suspects lingering guilt.

Two days after she sends the message, she arrives at the Snuggly Ducking, a usual meeting place of theirs. Varian is already there waiting. He stands the moment he sees her, walking quickly to her side, pale with worry. “What is it?” he asks without any delay, searching her face. “What’s wrong?”

Rapunzel places a hand on his shoulder, and he jumps at the contact, blinking fast. “Calm down,” she tells him gently. “I’d have said if it was anything immediate. Come on, let’s sit. Have you eaten?”

Only after they order some food and drink, and Rapunzel has secured a private room from Lance, does she finally sit down to talk. The room is small, but secluded, the walls secure from eavesdroppers and attackers alike. Two small chairs and a small wooden table is its only furniture.

Rapunzel settles down in her usual chair, and rolls out the map for Varian to see. The door opens before she can speak, Lance sweeping in with their food. Rapunzel gives him a sincere smile. “Thank you, Lance. I’ve missed your cooking.” She glances at the plate and gasps in delight. “Ooh, and pie, too?”

“Of course! Anytime, little lady, if it’s for you,” Lance replies warmly. He sets down the plates and ruffles Varian’s hair with a grin. “Anything for my _favorite_ customers! Lemme know if you two find any more buried treasure like last time, y’hear?”

Varian bats his hand away with a scowl, and Lance laughs deep from his gut, walking away. “I’ll keep the eyes off your back,” he calls after them as he exits. “Go save the kingdom or something for me!” He pokes his head through the doorway to point a finger at Varian. “And _you,_ kiddo, you better let me know if you’re staying for dinner.”

Varian mutters under his breath and brushes his hair back into its usual style, tying the strands behind his head in a loose pony-tail. “Yeah, yeah. I’m staying.”

“Wonderful! I’m making your favorites, then. It’s a special day, after all!”

Rapunzel waves at Lance’s back as he exits and turns to Varian the moment he’s out of sight. “Special day?” she asks with interest.

“Doesn’t matter,” Varian dismisses, waving it off. “Lance is just being— _Lance._ Mother-henning me.” His hand drops, and Rapunzel suddenly finds herself pinned under a fierce stare. Varian is practically bouncing in his seat, his fingers tapping hard against the table.

“ _Now_ can you tell me why you wanted to meet?” he asks, without any more delay. “Usually when its small stuff I meet with Cassie or Eugene, so, it’s something big, right?”

Rapunzel shakes her head, more amused by his impatience than offended. “Here,” she offers, pointing out the mountain hideout. “Have you heard anything about the Separatists lately?”

Varian leans over, eyeing the map. “Yes,” he admits. “I sent Cassie a letter about them this morning, actually. They’ve been… weirdly active. Bolder than usual.” He looks up. “The royal family knows?”

“And the guards.”

He frowns at this. “But then why haven’t they…” Realization flickers across his face. “The Separatists—they have leverage?”

“What they have,” Rapunzel says, “is a deal with a King who is willing to defend their right to _be_ Separatists.”

Varian clicks his tongue, catching the subtext. “You can’t attack without inciting war, can you.”

Rapunzel snaps her fingers at him. “Exactly. Or, arrest them for being Separatists without getting the same result. Basically, we’re checked!”

Varian frowns. “It’s check _mate,_ actually. Checkmated…?” His face screws up, and he coughs into his hand. “…Anyway, you are acting weirdly peppy for this conversation topic? It’s a little freaky? Not like, _bad_ freaky, but—”

Rapunzel snaps the map closed, cutting off his ramble. “That, my friend,” she says with dramatic grandeur, “is because _I_ have a solution.”

Both eyebrows rise up, and a smile twitches at the corners of his mouth. “Okay…?”

Rapunzel clasps his hands in hers and leans forward over the table so he can’t escape. “Varian,” she says solemnly, “how do you feel about kidnapping a member of the royal family?”

Varian freezes.

Rapunzel grins.

“Oh, no,” Varian says, very quietly, and that is when Rapunzel starts laughing.

-

“I don’t know why _I_ had to be the one to come,” Varian grumbles, hours later.

“Quiet!” Rapunzel hisses back. They are crouched in a bush, ducked underneath the many branches and leaves. She cannot help but be thankful, for once, that her long hair is now cut short; even unbreakable, it would have been a pain to lug around and hide. “Do you _want_ them to find us?”

“I dunno, _do_ I?”

Rapunzel frowns at him, disapproving, and Varian subsides with a sigh. His shoulders droop, his attitude falling to uncertainty. “I just don’t know if it’s a good idea, y’know? What if we get caught?”

“Easy,” Rapunzel says, and hefts up her frying pan. “We get to practice! It’s been a while since I went all out, y’know?”

“Well…”

“You have your staff, don’t you?”

“…I do…”

“And all your alchemy concoctions?”

“Well, not _all,_ but…”

Rapunzel studies his face and gentles, smiling sympathetically and nudging at his shoulder. “Remember a few years back?” she asks, soft. “When you and I went into the tunnels, and fought our way through all those boobytraps?”

“Yeah,” Varian says. “And then I stole a useless flower, betrayed you and the kingdom, and started making what turned out to be some of the worst decisions of my life?”

Rapunzel punches his shoulder, a move reminiscent of Cassandra, unamused by this. “ _Before_ that. Just— just the tunnels. The moving walls, the traps, the collapsing floors…”

“The automaton,” Varian offers, brightening a little, as Rapunzel knew he would. Science has forever been Varian’s love. Even just the mention of the robot is enough to bring a sliver of joy to Varian’s face.

She beams at him. “Yes, exactly! The automaton. We worked together pretty well then, didn’t we?”

His smile is sudden and startling, small and uncertain but bright. “…Yeah. Yeah, we did!”

She nudges his shoulder again. “That’s the spirit! And I mean, after having faced such a… a marvel of ancient scientific achievement, what are a few goons?”

This time, Varian grins, all teeth. “Easy pickings?”

Rapunzel matches his smile, bolstered by his good mood. “Exactly! So chin up, okay? Don’t worry. I’m here with you— we’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Varian says, and this time he really sounds like he means it. Rapunzel tugs a twig from his hair and tells him the rest of her plan with a wicked smile.

Varian matches her grin with one of his own, laughter in his eyes. “Aw, you’re right,” he says, warmth in his voice, “we do make a pretty good team, Princess.”

-

“I seek an audience with the to-be King of Saporia,” Varian says coldly, shoving Rapunzel forwards. Rapunzel stumbles in her footing. Her arms are wrenched tight behind her back, tied with rough twine and twisted so she can’t get free. There’s a gag around her mouth and fire in her eyes, the hook of Varian’s staff circling her throat.

At the entrance of the mountain hideout, home of the Separatists, the look-outs hesitate, stepping back, glancing uncertainly between one another. Neither of them speaks.

Varian’s eyes narrow, shoulders drawing back. He grabs Rapunzel’s arms and forces her to her knees so that he can point the staff at them, instead.

“Well?” Varian snaps. He makes a terrifying sight, in this midnight darkness— a tall and snap-thin teen, all angles, with dark circles like bruises beneath his eyes and deep shadows across his cold face, a wicked scar trailing across one cheek. Varian tilts up his chin and jabs the staff in the look-out’s direction, the alchemical concoctions tied to the tip glowing a sickly green-and-yellow. “Get going, before I decide to find him myself.”

One guard steps back, but the other steps forward, sword held out, expression uncertain. “Who—who are you? I don’t—”

“I am someone who wants revenge on Corona, same as you,” Varian says. “What more do you need to know? I have the Crown Princess at my feet and my staff at your throats. I _don’t_ advise you make me wait any longer.”

This, it seems, is enough for the guards— without a second glance, they both flee into the hideout, vanishing into the dark, leaving Varian and his prisoner alone.

The moment they vanish, Varian’s shoulders sag, and the cold expression falls from his face. He looks down at Rapunzel in worry. Rapunzel sits up and winks at him.

“For the record,” Varian whispers down to her, “I've changed my mind. I hate this plan _so_ much. I mean sure, they were dumb enough to _both_ leave and get him—their hideout is completely undefended right now, I’m a bit offended, but—”

Rapunzel rolls her eyes at him, sitting back on the dirt. Pascal crawls out from behind her hair, shaking his head up at Varian from her shoulder.

“I mean, yeah,” Varian admits, squinting at the unprotected hideout entrance, scar scrunching up near his eye, “it’s nice to be respected, but like— _wow,_ this is one of worse ones yet. The plan, I mean. I’ve met worse goons— the _plan,_ this plan though, oh yikes.”

Rapunzel turns to stare at him, deadpan. She cannot believe him. Is he really saying this now? Here? When they are quite literally _in the middle_ of said plan? Ridiculous. 

Varian looks back. “Oh, wow. Did you learn that one from Pascal? ‘Cause it kinda feels like you learned that one from Pascal.”

Pascal squints at him. Varian nods knowingly. “Yep,” he says. “That was a Pascal-look for sure.”

Footsteps and voices echo from within the hideout, and all three of them pause, before they snap back into character. Pascal vanishes back behind Rapunzel’s hair, and Rapunzel directs her eyes to the ground, shoulders bowed in pretend defeat. Varian gingerly places the crook of his staff back at her throat.

“Positions, everyone, _positions,_ ” Varian mutters, mockery of a stage play director, and giggles nervously under his breath.

Rapunzel bites her lip to keep from laughing and shakes her head. _Angry_ _thoughts_ , she reminds herself. _Must think angry thoughts!_

By the time the Separatist self-proclaimed King and entourage turns into the light, Rapunzel is ready, eyes lowered but burning with fury. It is not hard. All she has to do is remember the threat this man poses to her people, and the rage comes quickly.

Varian’s face is once more wiped clean of emotion, his cold blue eyes glittering with malice. When he sees the Separatist leader arrive, he smiles a crescent smile, a smile too wide to be sincere, devoid of true joy and warmth.

“King of Saporia,” Varian says, calm. “I’ve come to offer you my services.”

“Have you,” says the man, but he seems non-hostile, mollified by the title Varian has granted him. He glances at Rapunzel and then away again. “A bold statement, my dear boy. Why, pray tell, should I believe you? Or even have need of such services?”

“Because I have the Crown Princess of Corona at your feet and skills you could only dream of,” Varian says, smile dropping. Silly questions always have made him impatient. “Do the math, old man.”

“The Crown Princess—?” the man starts, looking to Rapunzel for a long moment. After a second his eyes go wide with recognition. “That is—… by the Moon, it _is_ her.”

This time when he turns to Varian, he doesn’t seem nearly as confident. “Who… just who are you?”

“One who hates Corona as much as you do,” Varian says simply. He smiles again, hard and cold as stone. “Tell me, would-be King of Saporia. Have you heard of the Alchemist?”

“The Alchemist? _You?”_ The false king steps back. “But I heard… I heard he was much older. And you don’t look at thing like the wanted poster…”

“Is it my fault if the kingdom is full of fools?” Varian asks simply. “They didn’t want the stigma of being beaten by a fourteen-year-old; worked out well for me all these years. I am tired of this. Do you agree, King? Or should I go,” he pulls back the staff, near choking Rapunzel, and she holds her breath to keep from coughing, “—and give my gift to someone else more… appreciative?”

“No!” The Separatist leader says, panic and greed clear as day in his eyes. “No, no, my dear boy… You, you are welcome! Your company, your abilities…” His eyes stray to Rapunzel. “And your gift.”

“ _Wonderful_ ,” Varian says. He smiles, much more genuinely this time, and squeezes Rapunzel’s shoulder in a silent cue. “We have a deal then. Now—”

All at once, Rapunzel breaks into motion. She twists and turns and fights with all her might, and Varian lunges at her bound wrists, pretending to struggle to keep a hold on her.

“Damn you, help me!” he shouts at the Separatists. “Bring your men out here, hurry!”

“Can’t you do something?” the leader cries out, stepping closer, nervous at the idea of his prize escaping.

“Do as I say,” Varian snarls back, acting out his part perfectly even as he dabs chemicals on Rapunzel’s bound wrists, “or Moon help me, I’ll—”

Rapunzel ‘rips’ free of the rope bindings while all are distracted and lunges for the Separatist leader. Her rope bonds fall away like water, the cords already eaten away by one of Varian’s concoctions, just as they planned. She grabs the startled leader, twisting his arm behind his back the way Cassandra taught her, and holding the rim of her frying pan under his throat, cold metal against his windpipe. “Drop your weapons!” she shouts, when all the Separatists go for their swords. “Stop moving now, or—or, the old man gets it!”

 _The old man gets it?_ Varian mouths at her, looking incredulous, and Rapunzel flushes, shaking her head at him.

The men mumble, shuffling uncertainly on their feet. Rapunzel glares her fiercest glare at them. “Well?” she demands.

They glance between each other. “…We could always get a new king,” one guard mumbles, and as one, every Separatist sword rises.

In her grip, the former Separatist leader sobs pathetically.

Rapunzel nearly drops her pan. “Really?” she says, disgusted and annoyed. “ _Really?”_

“I _told_ you so,” Varian mumbles, and that is when the men attack.

-

“Stop pouting,” says Rapunzel, an hour later, trudging through the woods. Varian follows at her heels, grumbling quietly. “We were fine!”

“You hit me in the _eye,_ ” Varian says back. “With a _frying pan.”_

“That was an accident!”

“You threw it straight at me!”

“I thought you were going to catch it! Everyone _else_ always catches it!”

“ _Threw_ it at me,” Varian repeats stubbornly, rubbing forlornly at his face. “Giving me black eyes, making annoying plans, setting off flares…”

“It all worked out!” Rapunzel insists, offended by his complaints. She brushes a stray branch away from her face, ducking underneath another one, heading up the hill with a huff. “We were amazing! You didn’t accidentally say anything cheesy in a panic, I got to dramatically escape and hold a man hostage, we had a wonderful time subduing a threat to the kingdom, and we won! It was perfect!”

“Sure, they all got arrested,” Varian says. “But we had to run away from guards, and my eye hurts, and _I told you so.”_

Rapunzel grins at him. “ _And_ we _won_!” she repeats stubbornly, nudging him with her elbow.

Varian waves a hand. “Ehhh.”

“Ehhh?!”

“Yeah, that’s right. _Ehhh._ I think we should’ve done my plan.”

“Your plan!” Rapunzel says, crossing her arms. “What was _your_ plan!”

Varian huffs. “Well, I may have forgotten to mention it, but—”

“Ohoho, _did_ you?”

“—BUT,” Varian repeats loudly, “I’ll have you know it was a vastly superior plan—”

“Oh!”

“—Very well thought out—”

“I see!”

“—And it would have absolutely worked, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. So there.”

“W- _ell_ ,” says Rapunzel, trying not to laugh, adopting a lofty tone, “I’m very sorry for not following your wonderful and yet _unspoken_ plan, Varian.”

Varian nods firmly, crossing his arms with a satisfied smile. “Thank you,” he says primly, and promptly trips over a branch.

Rapunzel catches him before he can face-plant the ground, laughing softly as she sets him upright. “You okay there?”

“Branches, too many branches. Where are we even going? This isn’t the way back to the castle!”

“That way is going to be crawling with guards for a while, I figure we should avoid it for a bit.” Rapunzel tugs him forward, looping their arms together playfully. “I know a good place to rest, yeah? We’re almost there! Just, trust me?”

Varian goes quiet at this. When he finally responds, his voice is much softer. “Okay,” he says. His eyes are on the ground. “I trust you.”

Rapunzel faces forward, and doesn’t look back at him, doesn’t dare to. But she smiles into the shadowed brush, so wide and bright that the force of it nearly brings tears to her eyes.

She never really thought they could have this, is the thing, never believed she and Varian could ever be friends again. Those years ago, after that battle in Old Corona, she had thought that would be the end of it. She could apologize, she could give him a second chance, she could _try_ — and maybe, things could be all right. But even then, she’d never dared to dream that this would happen. That he could forgive her, and that she could forgive him. That they could start over.

The events that brought them to this point—none of them were nice, none of them were pretty. Some still give Rapunzel nightmares, memories of a dark place, of a desperate chase, of a bloody arrow or a kingdom in ruin. She still has scars, pale and light, remnants of wounds even Rapunzel’s quick healing can’t erase entirely. Varian is missing half his ear, has a scar slashing across half his face. Eugene’s leg will never be the same; Cassandra’s back is a mass of scars.

Yet, for all the ugliness in their past, their future is bright. It is full of laughter and fun and fights that are more brawl than true danger. Rapunzel… she can never regret these past few years, not really. Not when it has brought her this future, not when it has brought her here, to a world where Varian says “I trust you,” and means it, a world where they are not enemies. A world with Eugene at her side and Cassandra set to be Captain of the Guard. A world where they are victorious.

These thoughts comfort her as they walk, set her heart at ease and keep her walk steady. When they reach her destination, she has enough good cheer remaining to make of a show of it, a low sweep of her hand and a silly smile.

“May I present to you—a wall!”

“Ah, yes, the kingdom border,” Varian says dryly. “A riveting sight. Truly amazing. It’s almost like I didn’t grow up in a border town and see it every day of my life—”

Rapunzel has already climbed to the top. “Quit sassing me and come up!”

“Princess, seriously, I already know—”

“Up!”

He sighs loudly, but starts climbing, only complaining a little bit. Halfway up, his gloves slip, and Rapunzel leans over the edge, catching him just in time. She yanks him up the rest of the way with one sharp tug. He’s lighter than she expects, though, and she pulls too hard—they go tumbling back against the stone, Varian yelping and Rapunzel wheezing when Varian’s elbow digs into her stomach.

“Ouch!”

“Ohhh, thanks for that, just what I needed, to be sent _flying into space—”_

“I keep forgetting how light you are,” Rapunzel says, laughing weakly, trying to catch her breath. “Eugene is right! Have you been eating regular meals?”

“I forgot how strong _and_ how nosy you are,” Varian says in return, pushing himself up. He pats the dust from his hair. “I’m fine, _Mom._ I eat veggies and everything, lay off.”

“I just worry.”

He sighs at this, rolling over onto his back, arms out-splayed. “I know,” he says sadly. “You always worry. I wish you wouldn’t.”

Rapunzel has nothing to say to this, so she lays down next to him instead, arms folded on her chest, looking up to the stars. She’s quiet for a long moment, playing with her nails, before she dares to speak.

“I’m told that what older sisters do,” she says finally, hesitant. “Worry, I mean.”

Varian sucks in a tiny breath. “An… older sister,” he repeats, but his voice breaks on the words, makes it a question.

“Yes,” Rapunzel says. She tangles her fingers, untangles them, tangles them again. She has called Varian her brother before—just once, a year ago, and it had seemed right to do it—but she has never laid claim to the title in this way, mentioned herself as a part of his family, rather than just him as a part of hers. “If… if that’s okay?”

Varian is quiet, quiet for a long time, his breathing rasping faintly in the air. When he finally speaks, his voice is rough, wet with unshed tears. “…Yeah,” he says. “Yeah. I’ve… I’ve never had a sibling before. Its— I don’t… I don’t mind if— if you are.”

Rapunzel lets out a relieved breath, grinning up at the sky. “Okay,” she says, beaming at the stars. “Okay.”

“Do—do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Do you mind? Calling me— your brother. After everything.”

She rolls onto her stomach, pushing up on her elbows so she can reach out and tweak his nose. He yelps, hands flying to his face, and she laughs at his expression, confusion and childish annoyance clear as day in his eyes.

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,” she tells him, warmth curling in her heart. She twists to sit up fully, legs dangling over the edge of the wall, the wind blowing through her hair. “How many times are you going to ask me that? You’re my brother. I told you that ages ago. Ah, you’re so _silly_ sometimes.”

He laughs, or maybe cries, or maybe it’s something a little of both. He sits up too, next to her, one hand still rubbing at his nose. His eyes are blinking fast and he is hiding a smile behind his hand. “Ugh, where do you get off saying that? Remember the tunnels? _Oh, you dastardly fiend—_ ”

“May I remind _you_ ,” Rapunzel says with a grin, “of, _It is I, Varian! Come to enact—”_

“Okay okay! I get it, you win, can you please not remind me of that?”

Rapunzel breaks off into laughter, and after a moment of hesitation, Varian laughs with her, the last of the tension bleeding out from his shoulders. The wind blows cold against their faces, still clinging to the winter chill even in this early spring. In the distance, the capital city and the castle are awash in light, a glowing beacon on the horizon, a radiance gathering at its edges. It turns the far-off hills into black silhouettes, stains the clouds a brilliant gold and pink. Dawn is soon approaching.

Rapunzel smiles out over the kingdom and reaches out with one arm to hug Varian to her side on impulse. “Happy birthday, little brother,” she tells him, and kicks her feet over the edge. “Nineteen’s a big year—I know mine was. I hope you had fun tonight.”

He freezes in her hold, sucking in a sharp breath, stiff in her arms. “I didn’t know you—”

She grins at him. “A little birdie told me.”

“ _Who?”_

“I think you’ll have fun finding out, won’t you?”

He pauses at this, and then sighs. “ _Lance._ Oh, damn. There's gonna be gifts in my main hideout, isn’t there?”

“Better head to the Snuggly Duckling and pick them up before you go!” Rapunzel chirps, refusing to feel ashamed.

“You’re all terrible,” Varian says, but he is smiling, cheeks flushed with pleasure. “What, was this—this whole thing, was it—”

Rapunzel laughs sheepishly, one hand rising to pull at a strand of her hair. “Sort of…? I mean the Separatists, they were a legitimate issue, but… Yes.”

“I still don’t get how what we did solved anything,” Varian admits, picking at a loose thread in his vest. “Won’t King Trevor just declare war now? I mean, being a Separatist is a crime, but he’ll probably defend them against that charge, so…”

“Oh!” Rapunzel says, grinning back at him. “Actually, it’s pretty simple. See, _you_ attacked and kidnapped me, and you made a deal with the Separatists— I can vouch for that. Ergo, because of that, they are guilty of aiding and requesting an attack on a princess, ergo this is a crime King Trevor can’t excuse, and _thus—_ We charge them for the crime of assault, and since we aren’t persecuting them for being _Separatists_ , King Trevor can’t throw a fit over it, and we leave them all to stew in their untimely demise.”

“Nice,” says Varian.

“I know, right? I make good plans.” Rapunzel pokes his side, and he squeaks in surprise, leaning away from her. “Nice subject change, by the way. C’mon, be honest. It was fun, wasn’t it?”

Varian smiles, a bit sheepish, his eyes bright. “Okay, okay. It was.” He takes a deep breath, looking as if he is about to speak, and then shakes his head. Abruptly he leans forward, twisting in her hold to hug her properly, both arms squeezing tight against her back, his hair brushing her cheek.

He has let go and pulled away before Rapunzel can react. “Thanks,” Varian says, very carefully avoiding her gaze. "For— for everything.”

Rapunzel blinks at him, still surprised by the sudden hug, and then smiles, soft and gentle. She feels like she's on cloud nine, so happy she could sing. “Of course.”

Varian shakes his head again, and stands suddenly, turning away. It cannot hide the tremble in his hands, the tears in his eyes, or the smile on his face. “I should go now,” he says awkwardly, fiddling with his clothes. “I still have…”

He waves his hand, looking frustrated, and Rapunzel nods knowingly, taking pity on him.

“I get it,” she says kindly. “Take care, Varian.”

He looks back at her. “You too, Princ…” He stops then, and smiles. “Rapunzel,” he corrects, and Rapunzel beams back at him, delighted.

They help each other down from the wall and Rapunzel wraps Varian in one last bruising hug before he can scamper off. For a moment he hesitates, and then his arms come around and hug her back, just as tightly.

“Goodbye, Varian,” Rapunzel says, squeezing him hard before she pulls away, hands resting on his shoulders. “I’ll see you soon.”

He grins up at her, for a moment looking every inch the boy he once was, the boy he still is, the boy she met years and years ago. “Bye, Raps.”

She waves him off and tries not to laugh when he leaves, because he is walking in the direction of the Snuggly Duckling. She hopes Lance doesn’t tease him too much, or throw too big of a celebration; she hopes he likes the gifts they all have left for him. She hopes tonight was as fun for him as it was for her.

She turns her face towards the sunrise and starts the long walk home, discussing with Pascal her story for how she ‘escaped’ her kidnapping. There is happiness in her heart and warmth brimming from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She feels happy. She feels victorious.

All in all, she thinks, watching as the sun crests over her kingdom, it has been a good day. A good day, a good year, a good life. It is the happily ever after the tragedy, the sunrise at the end of the long night. They may have struggled to get here—but in the end that sun shines all the brighter to their eyes because of it.

Her story has ended at last, and this ending—this happily ever after they have all been left with—it is one she has come to love, with every fiber of her being.

She walks home to her family without fear, led on by the rising sun, and not once does she think to look back. 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Fun facts: Varian’s wanted poster is so wrong not because of Corona, but because of Rapunzel—it lets him move around with some degree of anonymity. Additionally, he’s also a pretty good actor, but alas, only when he has prep time. Making a deal with the leader of the Separatists? No biggie. Getting caught by guards while trying to fake-kidnap the princess?? _Oh no._
> 
> Also, while Varian is now officially Rapunzel’s honorary little brother, he is also unofficially _everyone’s_ little brother, and I think that’s beautiful. There’re hints of that here too, even if the main focus is on Rapunzel and Varian. Like Lance!!! Lance was really fun. I actually didn’t intend for Lance to be in this story at first??? He was not planned. He kind of just burst in without warning and was like, “My story now!” That said, the result is literally the best impulsive choice I’ve made thus far and has pretty much solidified my plan for Lance in part two of Labyrinths, so, hella!!
> 
> Readers of my Labyrinths fic may notice a few references to that story as well. A cameo and foreshadow in one!!! Such fun, ahaha. (For those who don’t know, the daybreak series is actually meant to serve as a far-off sequel to the events of the labyrinths series, which is why they cross over. That said, not everything in parts two and three of labyrinths has been decided yet, so some details maybe be up for change.)
> 
> [If you wanna rec this fic, you can reblog it here!!](http://izaswritings.tumblr.com/post/176160664442/title-at-last-sunrise-synopsis-rapunzel-gets) Also, if you have any questions or just want to talk, [my tumblr](http://izaswritings.tumblr.com) is always open!!
> 
> Any thoughts??


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